The Great Unboxing

This festivity happens (hopefully) once a year—or maybe more if you’re lucky. It’s the celebration known as The Great Unboxing. Authors finally get to hold their literary lovelies in their hands, right before it reaches the rest of the public.

Almost every writer I know does an unboxing video on this occasion. Check out my Instagram reel for the unboxing of Death by Bubble Tea (out July 5).

There are a few things that I’ve learned along the way about receiving and unboxing author copies. Here they are:

1. The postman doesn’t ring twice. Instead, you just stumble upon an unannounced shipment of books on your porch. On the bright side, it adds a pleasant surprise to your day!
   
   
2. Try to wear something matchy. I coordinated with a cat-drinking-boba shirt this time around. It makes the reveal more fun (and amps up internal excitement).
   
   
3. Find a sharp knife/scissors. The worst is being unable to open the box. Not that I’m skilled at opening even with this tip. Whether from nerves or something else, it takes extra wrangling to open up those box flaps.
   
   
4. Be prepared for spur-of-the-moment remarks. I record in real time, and I’m often unaware that I like to narrate my findings. I mean, what could be in the box besides my books? (Okay, there was some bubble wrap…)
   
   
5. Carve out a location for your stash. Depending on your publisher, you might get a lot of books in your home. Make sure that there’s space to put them somewhere safe from the elements. This is why I now have a Tower of Books in the corner of one room.

And after all that manual labor, go and reward yourself!